Red Pond
by chrysanthemumsies
Summary: When a body is found at a farmers market, the team has to follow the case to Portland on a 12 hour drive! Will Lisbon live through the ride without killing Jane? Read to find out!   **FIRST EVER STORY! SUCKS... ALOT. COMPARE IT TO MY STORIES NOW!:
1. Falling

**Title: **Red Pond

**Author: **VanillaJisbon

**Summary: **When a body is found at a farmers market, the team has to follow the case to Portland on a 12 hour drive! Will Lisbon live through the drive without killing Jane? Read to find out!

**Disclaimer: **I own the Mentalist! And if you look out the window, you'll see Wilbur flying! But seriously... I don't own the Mentalist OK I SAID IT!

"What'd we got?" Lisbon asked Rigsby, rubbing her eyes as if it could make the drowsiness go away. She ducked under the police tape and slugged through the knee-high farm grass. The sun was just peaking above the trees, the pink glow filling the sky and the bright sun sending out rays.

"Jim Talon, found dead by one of the workers in the strawberry field at a local farmers market. The COD was a thorough beating, finally killed by a slit to the throat." Rigsby explained, shoving his police notepad into his back pocket.

"And Jane?" Lisbon asked warily, her hand hovering around his shoulder in case she slipped in one of the potholes. Good thing she couldn't find her heels and had to deal with sneakers. It would be tough to walk around barefoot while her favorite pointed shoes were sinking in mud.

"Just called him. I bet he'll be here in about-"

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" Jane said behind them, stretching his arms above his head, his hair glinting gold as he walked into the sun. He grinned at the two, stuffing his hands inside his vest pockets.

"No time," Rigsby mumbled as they made their way to the crime scene.

Lisbon sighed. "Jane, how did you get here so fast? I thought Rigsby just called you."

Jane caught up to them and walked beside Lisbon. "Ah, yes, but alas, van Pelt called me first." Jane then looked at Rigsby with a sly smile upon his lips. "You're gonna have to get here earlier than that if you want to give her the roses without Lisbon knowing." He smiled and patted Rigsby's back, jogging forward to get to the crime scene first.

Rigsby's cheeks reddened as he walked faster, using longer strides to get up the hill easier, leaving Lisbon in the dust. She sighed and followed at a slightly slower pace, eyeing the duffle bag he kept safely in front of his body. Smart man.

The crime scene was just a large puddle of red, damping the ground and making the tall grass sink under the weight. The water was colored by blood and strawberry juice, the strong scent overcoming the rusty smell of blood. The body soaking in the red lake was a male, same as Rigsby's report, well built and seemed to be 35, but Jane had noticed a few wrinkles and stretch lines around his face. He must've had a tough job, but stress over work usually came with loss of hair, and Jim had a head of pure black, windblown hair. It must've been childhood problems, like unsupportive parents and the oldest had to take care of the siblings.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jane observed Lisbon. Lisbon only had faint worry lines around her face, barely a ruffle or wrinkle in sight. Yes, but that was because Lisbon had put her 3 brothers under her wing at an older age, able to support them easier. Jane guessed that this man maybe suffered a death of one of the siblings, having to help his other brothers or sisters cope through them while he suffered his own pain in silence.

"Any family?" Lisbon asked, interrupting Jane's observation. He crouched a little lower, looking to see if he found anything the previous team had missed. While she headed toward Cho for the answer, Jane dropped into push up positions and brought himself level with the body with ease. He sniffed the body about a half foot away and wrinkled his nose from the smell, rolling the other way. He started to gag, the smell still somewhere in his nose.

Cho looked at his notes and said, "Yeah. 3 younger brothers, 1 sister. The men are part of the air force, but I don't know where his sister lives."

"Get van Pelt to find to find her. She needs to et into the action out here," Lisbon ordered, and then quickly noticed Jane's coughing. The corners of her lips twitched as she walked toward him. She crossed her arms and said, "Did you finally smell, oh, I don't know, the stench of a lifeless body?"

He hopped up to stand beside Lisbon. "Yeah, but I have a theory that's far more interesting."

Lisbon uncrossed her arms, dropping them to her hips instead. "Enlighten me, oh great one," She said in a sarcastic tone, smirking.

Jane grinned at her, his skin beside his eyes fanning out. "There's fresh manure under him, which meant it had to be real early in the morning, right after the workers put on a fresh coat. Now tell me, Lisbon; do you think they use store-bought bags of manure, or their own?"

Lisbon was frustrated about the question; it was too easy. She narrowed her eyes a little, thinking of what he noticed. She hated it when he saw things she didn't. In a slow voice, she said, "Their own, to save money, obviously. They aren't going to waste money when they have the cows they need around the back."

"Correct, and what is always in manure?" He asked her, putting his hands into his pockets one more, playing with a clothe ball in his left one.

"Um… white seeds," She said, she looked closely down towards the body. Then she saw it; around the area you could see a few white specks here and there, but where the body lay, there were none.

Jane saw the realization hit her and smiled a little. "My guess: The person who hid the body was not an outdoors person. He/she probably knew that they used manure, but didn't know about the seeds used in them. By the lumps not smashed out of it, it was taken straight out of the field. The killer tried to make it look like one of the workers dumped it on their cycle, him too busy to notice the well-grinned dirt."

In about 2 seconds, Jane was past the body and moving up a hill, the direction towards the farm. Lisbon followed clumsily, tripping on the smallest things. When she was almost at the top, she got her foot caught under some weeds.

Jane grabbed her hands, pulling her forward, but she caught pretty well.

"Get me out of this, Jane!" Lisbon yelled, pulling her feet upwards. Jane laughed and pulled harder.

"Nothings funny about this!" Lisbon grumbled, pulling her feet with all her might. Jane pulled the same time, and she finally got free, but she crashed into him.

"Oof!" Jane held onto her as he fell backwards down the other side of the hill, flipping multiple times before finally hitting the bottom.

Then, of course, Jane started to laugh, still holding onto the shocked Lisbon. He unlocked one arm but kept his other arm curled around her shoulders.

When Lisbon came back, the first thing she did was rub her head. "Ow," she mumbled, flinging Jane's hand away from her.

With a boyish grin on his face, Jane got up, holding his hand out to Lisbon, who gratefully took it. But when she got up, she had to lean against a tree nearby because of dizziness.

"Here, let me look at it." Jane walked over to her, bending her head down and feeling around for a bump, his grin still glued onto his face. Lisbon winced when her found the massive lump.

"Wow. I think this one is too big for a Band-Aid," Jane said, brushing off the leaves and twigs from his hair and his clothes.

"Ya think?" Lisbon said in a grumpy tone, standing up and sucking up the pain. She was pretty sure that she had a twisted ankle, but she ignored it and walked towards the barn.

"You really shouldn't be walking on an ankle like that," Jane commented, taking off his shoe and dumping out leaves that had made their way in. He slipped it back on and jogged up to Lisbon.

"I can do whatever the hell I want," Lisbon snarled, stomping her way to the run-down farm house, wincing with the pain. Jane followed her but kept his distance, letting her release her steam.

Behind the barn, there was a field of horses and cows, and only one entrance led them to the gate. The two walked up the path just as Cho and Rigsby found them, followed by the red headed rookie, van Pelt.

"Boss, I figured out that Jim's sister lives in Portland, Oregon. It's about a half-days drive to get there," van Pelt said, her face serious. Everyone was serious on this case, except for Jane. Of course. Lisbon motioned for her team to follow them, and the 5 made their way on top of the hill. Past the sign saying _'You are now leaving Rosemary Farm'_, you could see an exit heading north, toward the border of California and to Oregon. To where the killer was going.

Jane turned his head toward Lisbon and grinned, their faces about a half a foot apart.

"What?" Lisbon asked, squirming a little under the stare.

Jane grinned wider and said, "We're going to Portland."


	2. Keys

When the 5 made their way up the hill, Cho took the car he shared with Jane, hoping he could get to the CBI building without Jane making his way in the car. Van Pelt took her car, and Rigsby joined her. Anything was better then being stuck in a car for an hour with Lisbon and Jane bickering. Especially if that anything was a pretty agent with hair like lava frozen in time. He knew that he should be embarrassed with himself for thinking like that, but he wasn't.

When Rigsby got into the car, Jane grinned at him and gave him a thumbs-up. Lisbon rolled her eyes and pushed him forward before Rigsby could kill him.

"What do you think your doing?" Lisbon asked, looking at Jane twirling her car keys around his finger. Lisbon didn't dare ask how he got them. She thought that they were safe I her back pocket.

"Well, I think I'm driving," Jane said slowly, looking up at the sky. It was certainly a beautiful day.

Lisbon grabbed for her keys, but Jane was too quick. "Well, you thought wrong. I'm gonna drive."

"With an ankle like that, there is a 75% chance of us getting into a wreck. Not to mention the rocky roads, which increase that chance by, let's say, 5%," Jane calculated, smiling down at the fuming brunette.

"Better 80% then 99%, Jane. Now, give me my keys!" Lisbon shouted, her hands hovering around her handcuffs.

Jane dropped his mouth in an "o" and made himself look hurt. "Are you assuming that my driving skills are above perfect?"

"It isn't assuming when it's TRUE," Lisbon said, pushing down on his shoulder to reach her keys he was dangling above his head, his mischievous smile growing more trouble-maker worthy by the second.

Jane laughed and stuffed the keys into his pants pocket, shaking his head. "Not a chance. I'm driving whether you like it or not." He grinned.

Lisbon walked right in front of him and stopped, causing him to stop as well. She walked closer, their stomachs touching. She smiled, and for a second, her emerald eyes flashed. She put a hand behind his neck.

"W-What are you doing?" Jane asked, trying to make his voice seem normal. He faltered, but his facial expression kept the same cool look. He bent down, under habit, and put an arm around her back.

Lisbon smiled and put her hands on his hips, trailing her hand downward. Their lips were just a few centimeters apart, Jane closing the distance ever so slowly. Before he could even process what was happening, Lisbon snatched the keys from inside his pocket and raced towards the car, laughing.

Jane looked up abruptly, no smile on his face. He shook his head and walked forward, deep in thought. He walked to the car slowly and sat in the passenger's seat, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

Lisbon bet her paycheck that only she could tell Jane was angry, with the slight clenched of hands and the tightening in his jaw.

Lisbon noticed his mood and smirked, victory coursing through her veins. It was time that he had a taste of his old medicine.

When they got to the CBI building, Jane plopped down onto "his" couch, closing his eyes and thinking about what happened in Rosemary Farm.

"What's his problem?" Cho asked, nodding towards Jane with a bored expression, filing his paperwork.

"He's just mad because I drove him here," Lisbon said, smirking. Although, he did seem kind of mad after she grabbed the keys. She walked over to him and sat next to him, bending over to be level with his crouched position.

"What's wrong?" Lisbon asked him softly, looking intently at his expressionless face.

Jane thought about what he should've said. In his head, he thought about a possible conversation:

"_Lisbon, back there, I felt something that shouldn't have been there. Something that can't be described"_

"_What? You finally felt that breakfast burrito you had this morning?" _

"_No. Something that made me want to… kiss you."_

"_WHAT?" –Takes out her gun and shoots him multiple times-_

Or

"_No. Something that made me want to… kiss you."_

"_Really? I felt that too! Let's get married in 3 months and have a baby boy named Devin!"_

Yeah. Both were possible. When he came back to Earth, Cho, Rigsby, and van Pelt were all yelling at him.

"Come on, Jane! We're about to leave!" van Pelt.

"Get up." Cho.

"Jane, man, it's time to go. Get up or else we'll leave you here." Rigsby.

"Get your head out of your ass and get up. Wait, Rigsby. Your plan sounds pretty good." Lord and behold, Lisbon.

Jane shook his head and looked up, plastering his most believable smile on his face. "Sorry. I'm up, I'm up. Let me just get my stuff." Jane looked at his watch. Wow. Thinking took longer then he thought. **(Teehee… he was thinking that thinking took awhile…)**

"No need. Since you spend most of the time here, the stuff was in a "secret" compartment in the men's room," Rigsby explained, tossing a leather bag at him.

"What? And this whole time, I thought only I knew about it." Jane grinned, tossing the bag into the air.

"Ha! Sure. The boys use that hiding place to hid their-" Rigsby looked at the boss, then looked down, clearing his throat. "Never mind."

Lisbon rolled her eyes and picked up her heavy bag, her shoulder leaning with the effort. Jane grabbed the bag easily, although, to his disappointment, there was no wheels, so he would just have to carry it the whole way. Damn.

"I got it," Lisbon said, although Jane kept it in front of himself the whole time.

"No, you don't," Jane said, grinning. "You're gonna have to take it from me!"

Lisbon took a step closer, shaking her head. Jane's mind flashed back to the farm, their lips just a few breaths away… But instead of playing with his feelings, she said, "Don't make me use my strength on you, Jane."

"Strength," Jane scoffed. "OK, then. Tackle me."

Rigsby intruded. "Dude, she's tackled _me _before. Don't do it."

"Ah, but Rigsby, Lisbon has sprained her ankle, causing 50% percent of the tackle, of course the running start, to be eliminated. Also, I have a pretty fair guess that I'm stronger."

"Well, I'm going to the car to drive to Portland. Anyone want to join? OK," Cho said, rolling his suitcase to the elevator. Their bickering just drove him over the edge.

Van Pelt looks around cautiously and says, "Um, yeah, I'll join you in your car." She picked up her deep violet faded duffle bag and trotted to the next available elevator.

Of course, wherever Grace was, Rigsby had to go, so he followed her in the elevator. "See you in Portland," Rigsby said, and the doors closed.

"Now, you see what you did? You drove them all away," Jane said in a playful tone, grinning his boyish smile. Lisbon didn't smile back, which made his fade.

"What's wrong, Lisbon?" Jane asked in an innocent tone, lugging Lisbon's suitcase into the metal contraption. Lisbon ever so unwillingly followed and closed the gate behind her. She sighed before she spoke.

"What's wrong is, you don't let me do anything for myself. I'm a strong agent, not just a woman. I can do things myself." She pouted a little, but kept her posture straight.

"I'm aware of that, Lisbon, but I'm also aware that you have a swelling ankle, I'll have a look at it later, and it'll be hard to drive while painfully bending your foot just to apply gas." Jane said proudly, grinning with triumph at the open-mouthed Lisbon. She sighed and mumbled, "Point taken," with a sigh, she added, "Come on, give it." She held out her hand for where the handle should go.

Jane took her hand instead of giving her the bag and walked out of the elevator, pulling her to come with him out the door. Lisbon pulled away from him, opening the trunk of the car for him to put the bag into, a grumpy expression on her face.

"Oh, come on, Lisbon, don't be grumpy. You won't enjoy a nice, long trip if you're grumpy," Jane pointed out, slinging the rather large bag into the trunk.

Lisbon sighed angrily and narrowed her eyes at the blonde consultant. His pale blue eyes playfully narrowed back.

With the same expression, Lisbon put her hands on her hips. "Look, if your gonna drive without a doubt-"

"Which I will," Jane interrupted, but then added sheepishly, "Go on."

"Then at least let me give you my keys before you take them again," Lisbon said, reached far into her back pocket. Her wallet, chap stick… "These keys have to be in here somewhere…"

"Not anymore," Jane said, holding up the keys like he was caught doing something that he wasn't supposed to do, like taking a cookie from the cookie jar before supper.

Before she could yell at him, Jane slid into the drivers side, adding over his shoulder, "Come on, Lisbon. We better get going if we want to make it there by, oh, 8:00pm."

Lisbon laid her forehead against the window, taking a few deep breaths. Sometimes, Jane gets right under her skin.

"He better learn to shut his mouth if he knows what's good for him," Lisbon mumbled before getting into the passenger side.


	3. Lovebug

"_Now I'm speechless, over the edge_

_I'm just breathless_

_I never thought that I'd catch this love bug again_

_Hopeless, head over heels in the moment,_

_I'd never though-_

Ow!" Jane yelped, rubbing his arm where Lisbon had scratched him moments ago.

"Really, Jane, a Joseph Brothers song?" Lisbon asked, turning of the radio. She was never EVER going to turn the radio on with him in the car. It was disturbing.

Jane grinned and laid his arm on the armrest. "It's pronounced _Jonas_, and yes, really. I honestly think their singing styles unlock the teenage mind in ways we don't understand. If you connect to the song, you may have a way to learn the ways of heartbreak. It makes me want to-"

"Join a fan club?" Rigsby intruded. Cho hid his laughs like always and van Pelt delicately covered her mouth with her hand, grinning.

"Look, Jane, during this ride, try to keep it normal. And by normal, I mean by NOT acting like a psycho 12 year old girl," Lisbon said, keeping her eyes on the road while Jane casually edged his hand toward the on button on the radio. She slapped his hand away.

"Hey! I'm, like, turning 13 next Saturday, so technically, I'm a teen, not a pre-teen," Jane said in a high and annoying nasal voice, making him really SEEM like a teenage girl. Everyone laughed, with the exception of Lisbon. Even Cho cracked a smile. And that was saying something.

It was 3 hours since the team left the building. And everyone was hungry. Lisbon pulled into a Sonic **(My favorite!) **and analyzed the menu, shifting her car in park.

"Double cheeseburger with only ketchup, mustard, and extra pickles, fries, and a strawberry shake." Rigsby said, looking out the window hungrily. Who else?

"Hot dog with only ketchup and lettuce, tator tots, and a Dr. Pepper," Cho said, picking up his book about computer programming intently. Wow. Didn't see that one coming.

"I would like a Crispy Chicken Salad with ranch, and a side of Ranch, and water," van Pelt said quietly, looking down at her phone.

Lisbon looked at Jane, who was going through her purse.

"Hey!" Lisbon said, grabbing her purse. Jane smiled and said, "I would like a bacon-egg-and-cheese toaster with cheese fries and a cherry coke," Jane added, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and folding it into a bird.

Lisbon rolled her eyes, repeating the orders to the speaker inside the glowing menu, plus her own. He said them back to her and she approved, swiping her credit card right below the screen.

About 10 minutes later, their food was brought. They passed around the bag so the team could pick what was theirs, and they started to eat.

Suddenly, in between bites, Jane leaned toward Lisbon, and he put an arm around her.

"Not a chance, Jane. I'm not unlocking your window so you can feed the pigeons," Lisbon said, taking another bite of her burger.

"That's not what I'm doing," Jane said in a hushed toned, leaning toward her. Lisbon had nowhere to go. His hand was tightly on her shoulder and his body was too close to her.

A fry dipped in smoothie fell from Rigsby's mouth. Van Pelt dripped a piece of chicken covered with ranch onto her lap. Cho pretended not to notice, but was grinning on the inside. It was about time.

"Your not gonna do it," Lisbon said nervously, moving her food into the little cubie next to her seat. Jane leaned in closer, and whispered, "try me." Lisbon leaned back nervously. He followed her and moved his hand to her neck. The tips of their lips touched, and the stares of the team were blocked by Lisbon's headrest.

"OK, fine!" Lisbon yelled, unlocking his window. "There! You can feed the pigeons!" Lisbon grumbled, unlocking Jane's hands from her. He grinned with triumph and leaned back, tossing a few fries softened with cheese out the window to the hungry birds. Their necks glinted turquoise, and he grinned. Don't ask me why he fed the birds. I'm just a viewer.

Lisbon grabbed her food, and the team relaxed. She mumbled things about, "…tricking me… was gonna kiss me… good thing I took out my bullets of my gun earlier…"

Jane's face fell expressionless as he thought. Yes, he supposed, it was unfair to trick Lisbon like that, but she tricked him earlier. They were even.

Besides, only the tips of their lips touched. It was only a fluttery feeling for a moment, but why was his still their? Jane internally furrowed his eyebrows and took another bite. He wanted that moment to replay itself over and over again. If only he could trick her one more time…

Soon, the team had finished and had thrown their trash away, pulling out of the semi-empty drive-in. Jane tapped the armrest impatiently and started to whistle.

"Lemme take a wild guess; you want to get there already," Lisbon said in a sarcastic tone towards Jane.

"Yeah," Jane agreed, folding his hands and putting them behind his head. He looked up at the ceiling of the car, deep in thought…again.

"Crap!" Lisbon growled, waking Jane up. He hadn't realized that he had been asleep in the first place.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked in a shaking tired tone, sounding as if he were drunk. He shook his head, trying to get the sleep out of his eyes to make his vision more clear.

Lisbon scowled at the GPS like it was its fault and grumbled, "Heavy traffic. And this stupid thing told me about the traffic not onc-"

"Approaching slow traffic. Make a U-turn when possible," Came its automatic voice.

"You see, it works," Jane said, grinning.

"Oh, shut up, will you?" Lisbon asked in an annoyed tone, which fit the case perfectly. She pulled into a nice hotel, and she could tell it was nice what with all the cars filling up the parking lot.

"Look at that," Jane whispered, nodding behind them. Cho was snoring softly, the book crooked on his head. OK, again, I'm just a viewer, but I bet that didn't even make sense to JANE.

On the 'I-understand-this-shit' side, van Pelt had her head on Rigsby's shoulder, and Rigsby's head was on top of hers. Lisbon bit her lip. This isn't good.

"Cho! Rigsby! Van Pelt! WAKE UP!!!" Jane said rather loudly, making Rigsby and van Pelt jump up and automatically shift away from each other.

Cho turned his head in his sleep, the book falling.

"Cho!" Jane said again.

He mumbled something incoherent.

"CHO!!" Jane yelled, throwing an empty Sonic cup at him. He woke up and yelped.

"What the crap?" Cho mumbled, gathering his things when he saw the hotel out the window. The team did the same.

Jane grabbed his stuff (Including Lisbon's things, which made her growl but not argue) and walked inside, setting it down on the tasteful carpet.

"5 rooms, please," Jane said to the short man behind the counter, tapping his fingers on the counter.

The man looked up with a boring expression on his face. "I'm terribly sorry, but we only have one one-bed room and one two-bed room. I suppose you all will have to share."


	4. Share

"Well, I'll sleep on the floor," Lisbon offered. She was used to that, what with 3 brothers and a small house.

"Lisbon…Lisbon, Lisbon, Lisbon," Jane cooed, and a menacing picture of her father entered her mind. "You do know that an argument will come out of this, correct?" Jane said, and Lisbon gritted her teeth.

"Yes. But I _will_ sleep on the floor, because I said so," Lisbon said, lifting up an eyebrow.

Jane sighed and made an exasperated noise under his breath until he said, "Fair enough. Just sleep with your eyes open." Jane grinned at that.

"What? You gonna carry me to the bed while I'm asleep? Ha," Lisbon snorted, paying the guy at the counter. With a sniff, he said, "We don't accept cash, Madam."

With one look from Cho, Sir Walters (according to the nametag) laid the money besides the cashier and gave Lisbon the room keys.

With a weird English smirk, he added, "Have fun." And he turned around to ring the bellhop.

When they got to the room, they sighed with relief. The rooms were joined, _and _the beds were kings. Well, no lucky stuff was goin' on here.

"Well, who's willing to give up a blanket and a pillow for the floor?" Lisbon asked, picking up her bag with a grunt.

"Come on, Lisbon, these are _king sized beds. _To make you feel better, I can put pillows between us," Jane said, shrugging out of his vest.

"Between us? Yeah, we'll sleep in the same bed when pigs fly," Lisbon said, taking off her belt holding the gun and put it up on a rack in the closet.

"I need that in your word," Jane said, kicking his shoes off.

Lisbon eyed him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Well… I like making you happy, and if you'll feel better by making an oath, then make it," Jane said honestly, but that didn't convince Lisbon. But what would it hurt?

"Fine, Jane. I solemnly swear that I will sleep with you when pigs fly. Jeez, you happy?" Lisbon asked, putting her few toiletries inside the bathroom, taking as little space up as possible.

"Yes. Oh, and when you get in the bed, I like the sheets on, cover off." Jane clicked his tongue at her playfully and started pulling the cover off the king.

"Wait, what? I just gave an oath! I haven't seen a flying pig anywhere!" Lisbon grumbled, flailing her arms about.

"Swine flu," Jane said, grinning at the struck Lisbon. She just shook it off and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower.

Meanwhile, Cho took the single bed room. It was nicer than the two bed, because there was more space. And he just LOVED the smell of hotels.

Van Pelt used Cho's bathroom and took a shower while the guys thumb wrestled for who sleeps with Grace. Rigsby wanted to for some snuggle action, but Cho wanted to so he didn't have to _hear _the snuggle action. In the end, Cho gave up and took the other bed, on the side the most far away from Jane.

Lisbon came out with wet hair, wearing a faded gray T-shirt with navy bold writing and loose shorts. She had put on ankle-high socks, and was putting her gold necklace back on.

"Hmm," Jane murmured, looking up and down. "I thought you were more of a 'Victoria's secret' woman."

Without even a glance, she curled up on the very edge of the bed, her back to Jane. He raised his eyebrows.

"What? It's not like I'm forcing you to, you know, _actually _sleep with me," Jane pointed out, and she winced.

"OK, I'm leaving. I'll take my chances with Rigsby and van Pelt," Cho said, closing the door behind him quietly.

Lisbon was getting up to go to the other bed when Jane grabbed her wrist. "Lisbon," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

Lisbon kept her mouth shut and tried to pull away from him, but he sat up and turned her towards him.

He put his hands on her shoulders, and shook her softly, but she was in a daze.

…"_Daddy, what are you doing?"_

"_Sh-Shut up, Lisbon. Go get me another beer."_

"_But- Ow!"_

"_Stop crying. It was only a slap."_

"_Daddy! That hurt!"_

"_Oh yeah? Take off my pants."_

"_No, daddy. I won't."_

"_If you don't, I'll kill Tony."_

"_No! Not Tony, not your son!"_

"_Then do as I say."_

"Lisbon," Jane said slightly louder, pressing down gently on her neck. She tried to go into a brighter memory with her brothers, anything to go back to reality.

"Lisbon, I'm gonna kiss you if you don't come back," Jane said seriously, knowing that stuff like that pisses her off. She didn't budge.

Jane carefully kissed her on the cheek, but she didn't move. Little did he know that she was thinking about her first love, Darryl Stevenson. And their first kiss.

Jane leaned in more, and he pressed his lips to hers. She automatically wrapped her legs around his waist, hooking her elbows around his neck. Jane only was going to kiss her for, maybe, 3 seconds, but this would do. He ignored the unnecessary guilt in his stomach and kissed her back.

Lisbon smiled a little during the kiss, remembering the silky black haired boyfriend that had asked her out to a concert. They had made out most of the time, not bothering to remember the music.

She thought about his beautiful gray eyes, shaped like almonds. They both shined blue when they hit the sunlight.

But when she opened her own eyes, she saw Rigsby, van Pelt, and Cho staring at them, bringing her back to reality. Which means that she was kissing…

"Ah!" Lisbon yelled, pushing away from Jane and falling off the bed in the process. She just stayed there.

She could hear Jane's gasps, see the faint outline of his hand as it reached for hers, it lying on the bed. He grabbed it and pulled her up.

"Um," Jane said nervously, eyeing the team. "I'm just gonna go take a shower." He got up, paused and shook his head a bit, and descended to the bathroom.

Awkward silence.

Rigsby lifted his hand up to the bathroom, pointing, and said childishly, "You kissed him."

"Alright, everyone out!" van Pelt said, pushing them both out the door and closing it. She walked over to Lisbon and sat down next to her.

"Lemme guess; thinking about kissing another guy while…?" van Pelt asked, smiling.

Lisbon smiled at the agent. "How'd you know?"

"Hey, I'm a girl, too. I know what its like. Although… he does like you," van Pelt pointed out sheepishly, straightening the sheets.

Lisbon snorted. "Yeah, right. Look…um, it's getting late. I'm gonna go…get some ice and a few snacks. Be right back." Suddenly, the electricity went out.

"Well, crap!" Lisbon said, slipping her feet in her sneakers.

Jane came out with a towel on his waist and soap in his hair, the streetlights from the window lighting up the room faintly.

"So… the lights out. And combs can pierce through skin." He pointed to his bloody foot.

Lisbon sighed and tossed him his shirt and, with two fingers, his boxers. "Put them on and I'll take care of it."

He smiled and walked carefully into the bathroom, coming back out with only sweatpants over his boxers on.

"I gave you your undershirt for a reason," Lisbon said, smiling.

"Turns out, shirts can multitask," he laughed, pointing at his wrapped foot.

Lisbon rolled her eyes, and heard a knock at the door.

Lisbon jogged over to the door, only to be greeted by a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, Teresa."

**Ha ha! Cliff hanger! Sorry that I haven't updated in FOREVER, but I was in Vegas, before that PREPARING for Vegas. I went to the Stratosphere, Circus Circus, and so much more! I go there because my uncle, TJ, sings their, and my aunt, Annika, impersonates there as Gwen, Faith, and Cher! And they have a red headed baby. Vegas is WAY different then Pearland, Texas.**


	5. Of course

"Darryl?" Lisbon whispered, lying a hand on her neck, surprised.

His smile was the same as always, and he scratched his neck. No wedding band. "Yeah. Looking good, Teresa." He looked at her hand, and smiled. No wedding ring.

Darryl looked at the shirtless Jane suspiciously. "And this is…?" He asked.

"Oh, um, this is…um…" Lisbon started, getting lost in his silver eyes, and for a moment, she felt 15 again.

"Patrick Jane, consultant," he said, holding out his hand, annoyed.

"Hello, Patrick," Darryl said nicely, strongly shaking his hand, his windblown hair gleaming blue in the hallway lights, like a raven.

"So, what are you doing here?" Lisbon said, straining her neck to take in his 5' 11" height.

"Well, I'm one of the agents in this part of California, and when I heard Teresa Lisbon was taking on a case _and _had to stay here around where I live, well, I just had to pull a few strings. Now I'm on the case, too!" He grinned in triumph, stuffing his hands into his vest pocket. Wait, wait… That was Jane's thing!

"This is just… unbelievable!" Lisbon said, smiling.

"Yeah…unbelievable," Jane grumpily mumbled in the background. Cho hid a laugh with a cough, and that made Jane turn around to stare at him. If looks could kill, Cho's head would be shoved up his… well, let's just say that it's a good thing looks can't kill.

"Hey, um, I was about to go get some snacks, and talk to the manager about the whole electricity thing. Would you like to come and, you know, catch up?" Lisbon asked, absentmindedly twirling a lock of her hair.

Darryl smiled, his eyes crinkling around the edges. "Love to."

"OK. Let me just go get my purse," Lisbon said, going into the closet. She got it and ran out with Darryl.

"Love to," Jane mocked when the two were gone. "Good for nothing…"

"Do you see something wrong with this picture?" Rigsby asked Cho quietly.

"What? Jane talks to himself all the time," Cho whispered back, observing the grumpy blonde.

"No! Not that!" Rigsby said, as if it were obvious. With a satisfied snort, he said, "Lisbon doesn't carry purses!"

"Alright," van Pelt said and, once again, shoving the two out the door once again. "Stay out."

Van Pelt locked the door and sat beside Jane. She looked him over for a moment.

"You're jealous," she concluded, and with a nudge, she added, "Hey. She likes you too."

"Oh yeah? Then why is she out there with Darryl?" Jane shot at her, running his hand through his still-quite-soapy hair.

"Well," van Pelt started, picking up a damp towel and getting the soap out of his hair, "She missed this ex-boyfriend. Of course a few sparks will fly. But you've got the fireworks."

Jane smiled at her words and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Grace. That helped. But that kiss was just for bringing her back to reality."

Van Pelt smiled and got up, saying, "But you liked it. Hey, I almost forgot. I saw a paper in front of the door and forgot to pick it up. Maybe the news about the body came in." She rolled her eyes and opened the door.

Of course, Cho and Rigsby had to be in the room at that moment. Of course, Jane was encouraged at that moment, happy even. And of course, Lisbon and Darryl had to be making out right in front of the door, and really getting into it. And I mean really.

Van Pelt closed the door quietly and cautiously turned around. Jane was frozen in a state between standing up and sitting down, staring at the now-closed door. Rigsby and Cho were vigorously rubbing their eyes.

"The horror! Memories… they will never go away!" Rigsby moaned, leaning against the wall for support.

"Alright," Cho said, finally looking up. "I'm scarred for life."

Jane was still motionless, not even as much as blinking. Or breathing.

Van Pelt slapped him.

"Hey! Oh, thanks van Pelt," Jane said, crashing down onto the bed.

"Thanks for what?" Lisbon asked, closing the door behind her happily. Too happily.

"For…um…" van Pelt started, biting her lip a little.

"For slapping me out of a daze of shock when van Pelt opened the door to you kissing Darryl," Jane concluded honestly, sliding over to his side of the bed.

"Oh," Lisbon said, blushing just a tiny bit. Oh, this was rich! Jane's been trying to get her to blush ever since he first showed up, and when he finally did, she was blushing about Darryl!

"Yeah, um, I don't know if I'm liking this," Jane said sheepishly, twiddling his thumbs. He checked the digital clock; it was 9:03 pm. Wait… Digital clock! Electricity!

"Why wouldn't you like me kissing him?" Lisbon asked innocently, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Jane looked behind them and saw the team turn around right then, whistling nonchalantly as if they weren't listening moments before.

"Hey, I see you didn't get the snacks. Let's get them together," Jane offered, getting up and carefully slipping on his shoes. His foot didn't hurt so bad anymore. He just put on his shirt that was lying on the floor.

They both walked out, closing the door. Then Jane cornered Lisbon, putting both of his hands beside Lisbon's face, using the wall for support while he loomed over her.

"It bothers me because I'm not used to seeing you with other men," he whispered, ignoring the stares from a few elderly women passing by from the pool. OK, I personally think that hotels should have a senior-citizen hour, because hanging out with the guy you like at the pool is not very fun when the elderly ask the guy to put sunscreen on their backs. Ew.

"Well, get used to it, Jane," Lisbon shot. "I'm not planning on staying alone forever. Someday I'm going to find the perfect guy, and you're just going to have to deal with it." She ducked under his arm and stomped towards the elevator.

Jane sighed and followed her, but she had closed the elevator before he could walk in. He just slumped against the wall beside the elevator and sunk down to the ground.

What had happened to him? Just yesterday, Jane was having fun, being happy. But… Lisbon just turned him into a cranky mentalist, like a teen with hormones. He hated it.

A shiver ran through his spine, and without opening his eyes, he said, "Come on out, team."

Of course, Cho, Rigsby and van Pelt sheepishly walked out from behind the wall leading to the room.

"Why are you here?" Jane asked, opening his blue eyes.

"Well, we kind of had money going on who kisses who first, so…" Rigsby explained, tossing his wallet back and forth between his hands.

"What makes you think that there's going to be a kiss?" Jane asked, slightly annoyed.

"Dude, everyone knows there's gonna be a kiss. You two, alone…speaking of two, where's Lisbon?" Cho asked, putting his hands behind his back.

"Here," Lisbon said, walking out of the elevator. She tossed two chili cheese Fritos to Rigsby, Cheetos to Cho, and Butterfingers to van Pelt.

"How does she do that?" Rigsby asked Cho, who shrugged in response.

Lisbon glared at the three, causing them to back away to the other elevator down the hall. Then they ran for the hills.

"OK. They're gone," Jane said, getting up. Then he cornered Lisbon again, this time in an actual corner.

She looked around, but Jane made his hands go lower on the wall so she couldn't escape.

Lisbon sighed and mumbled, "What do you want from me, Jane?"

"I want to know why you want _him_," Jane said, hastily adding the last word with obvious disgust.

"Who said I do?" Lisbon asked, closing her eyes. She didn't have to look at him.

That was all the answer Jane needed. He took one hand off the wall and around her waist, and before she could even open her eyes, his lips were on hers, and everything turned into a blur.

Sure, she had kissed Jane before (Oh, that did NOT sound good), but she forgot it was him. She kissed him for a total of 3 seconds until something occurred to her. _She _was kissing _Jane! _

Lisbon turned her head to break the kiss, his deep breaths trickling shivers down her spine.

"Jane," Lisbon said after a few minutes of silence. "This isn't right."

"But," Jane started, staring straight into Lisbon's sparkling eyes, "You kissed me back earlier."

"Jane…" Lisbon said guiltily, lowering her head. "I was thinking about me and Darryl's first kiss. I thought I was kissing him, Jane."

Well, that set him off.


	6. Why

"Why, Lisbon?!" Jane growled, running a hand through his hair. "What is WITH you and Darryl?"

"Shh!" Lisbon shushed, grabbing Jane's arm and pulling him into an elevator. Then she got into agent-mode.

"After Darryl showed up, you started to become all over-protective. Jane, I like Darryl because he's easier to understand. It's hard to be around you whenever your thinking, because you block everything out, including me. I'm just so tired of it!" Lisbon yelled angrily, turning her head the other way.

"L-Lisbon," Jane started helplessly, uselessly holding out his arms.

"You know what? Save it, Jane. I don't need to put up with this tonight." Just then, the elevator opened, giving her time to storm out to the room. And giving Jane time to mumble stuff incoherent while he scrunched his curls in his hands.

Lisbon slammed the door behind her, which hurt Jane's foot when he used it as the doorstop. Yeah, the bad foot.

He hopped in and plopped in the bed, unbuttoning his shirt in the process.

Lisbon cautiously opened the joined door, seeing the 3 caught up in the news paper. She had just enough time to steal the key that could get them into her and Jane's room and lock the door behind her.

She dropped it on the table and sat in the other bed, turning her back to the direction Jane was.

"Lisbon," he said, his mind whirling for no apparent reason. "Why are you mad at me?"

Lisbon muttered a few curses, got up and stood right beside Jane, who sat up in return.

"Oh, Jane, who said I'm mad at you?" Lisbon said sickly sweetly. "I'm actually very happy right now, what with my building relationship with Darryl." She smiled at him.

With pain in his eyes, Jane whispered, "Why are you trying to hurt me, Lisbon?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe because you're trying to freakin' SCREW UP my relationship with Darryl!" She yelled, but tried to keep it as quiet as she could. Yeah, still loud.

"How so? I'm not trying to break you two up! No matter how much I want to," Jane said, quietly adding the last part.

"You keep on kissing me, and that's not supposed to happen when I have another relationship going on!" Lisbon growled.

"You know what? I think your afraid to kiss me," Jane said, his face changing into that thinking-because-I-know-what's-going-on look.

"What? That's insane," Lisbon said, moving her head back. Jane knew that was a sign of her lying.

"Yes. Yes, it's because your afraid to have a relationship with me," Jane snapped his fingers, but with a look of Lisbon's satisfied mood, he changed his mind. "No, no, it's because every relationship you've ever had had left you heartbroken in the end, and Darryl was the only one that was ended by you, and you're dating him so I won't have a reason to hurt you." When he saw that he was right, he got up and took a step towards her. "But Lisbon, I would NEVER do that to you."

Lisbon gave up, falling into the truth. "How would I know that? You always lie on the job, you make me think things that aren't real, AND you always leave when I have to deal with the damage YOU made."

For once, Jane was speechless.

Lisbon got up, tied up her hair, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Jane asked, grabbing for her hand. He didn't want her to go away.

"There's a shop downstairs that's open until midnight, and the indoor pool's open all night. Put two and two together." She walked out the door.

He sighed, but smiled. He wrote something down and taped it to the door in case the team found a way in, then walked out the door.

"What's going on?" Rigsby whispered, his ear pressed against the door.

"I heard the door open twice over there. Must be going out somewhere," Cho said, then added over his shoulder, "van Pelt, have you found the extra key yet?"

"Not ye- Wait! Found it!" van Pelt said, unlocking the door. Right when she swung it open, a note fell to the ground. Cho got it and read it out loud:

"Out to bother Lisbon.

Order sausage and pepperoni pizza.

Leave it on my and Lisbon's bed.

I left the money in Cho's pocket.

Jane."

Cho checked his left pocket and, sure enough, it was there.

"I'm not even gonna ask how he got the money there. I changed my pants 10 minutes ago and haven't even _seen _him since," Cho said, grimacing a little at the thought.

Rigsby laughed straight out. "Dude, he touched your pants."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Cho said, an annoyed tone to his voice.

"OK, let's order the pizza," van Pelt interrupted, getting her phone. She found a number for pizza in the hotel directory and ordered. She added a half sausage and pineapple, half ham and no sauce pizza for the three. She hung up.

"OK, no we just got to wait," van Pelt said, drumming her fingers against the wooden table. What was Jane up to?

Meanwhile, Lisbon was looking through the shop, trying to find a suit that WAS NOT a bikini. She finally found a one-piece in her size and bought it, heading for the pool. Lisbon changed in the bathroom and came out.

She stood on the edge of the pool on the deep end, closing her eyes. She normally never did this, but this was drastic measures.

She heard a breath in the so-called empty pool room.

"Come on out, Jane," she said, turning around with a smirk upon her lips. There was no one there. Her smile vanished.

Lisbon heard another breath, and she whipped around, only to trip into the pool. She gasped for air, and for a moment, she thought she saw a blonde head under the water.

Struggling to take a breath in the rocky water she caused, she dived under the surface and opened her eyes, seeing a blurry figure.

Being a CBI agent and all, she cautiously swam towards it. Just when she was close enough, something shone in the water. A cocky blue eye.

Lisbon darted away from Jane, but he grabbed her ankle. They both took a breath before he pulled her back down.

"Why?" Lisbon tried to say, but only bubbles came up. But he understood. Jane shrugged.

Lisbon was running out of air, so she darted back up. In the process, she kicked Jane's foot off and headed for the stairs. Then she sat down. Jane sat next to her.

"I went here," Lisbon growled, glaring at him, "To be alone."

Jane flashed a smile at her. "I know."

"Look, here's a deal. If I beat you to the other side of the pool when I say 'Go', will you leave me alone?"

Jane pondered that for a minute. Then nodded. "And if I beat you, you have to kiss me for a total of 10 seconds."

Lisbon sighed. "Why do you want me to kiss you?"

"Well, I was mad when I figured out that you were thinking of Darryl when I was kissing you, but when you kiss me, I want you to know it's me," Jane explained, grinning.

"When? As if, Jane," Lisbon said, then smiled. "Oh, Jane?"

"Yes?" Jane answered, secretly getting ready for takeoff. He knew she was trying to be sneaky. Silly Lisbon.

"Go!" She yelled, and the two took off.


	7. Real

**Ha ha! This is the shortest chapter I have EVER written! But I'm in the mood for , and I didn't want to be rude by not updating. But, I guess I'm being rude by doing this. Haha, CLIFFHANGER! I MIGHT update again today, but it can go either way. PEACE!! Oh, and YES, I changed my name. VanillaCreation is just… easier to have than VanillaJisbon… OH GAWD DON'T HURT ME!!**

"I won."

In the pool, you could see two figures, one glaring and one grinning. The one glaring was… wait, why am I telling you? Who is the only person that glares Lisbon or Jane? Exactly.

"I'm not kissing you," Lisbon growled, pushing his hand off her waist.

"Yes, you are." Jane said. Lisbon crushed her eyes closed, waiting for impact. Nothing.

She opened one eye, and Jane opened one eye as well.

"Well?" she said, annoyed. Why is he teasing her? And way worse; mentally.

"The deal was _you _kiss _me,_" Jane explained, closing his eyes. "I'm waiting."

Lisbon did the only thing she could do; she jumped into the pool.

So did Jane.

Lisbon took a deep breath and went way under water, only to see Jane in front of her. And for the first time, she actually noticed exactly how Jane looked, right under the lamp above the pool.

He _did _have strong muscles, but not crazy strong. Tendons and muscles rippled along his chest and arms, and he had a faint 6-pack, only 4 visible. He had icy eyes the color of the ocean, just as deep. You could stare into them all day without even noticing the pupil. Golden locks waved around his hair, like a halo. He had smile lines, and Lisbon could understand that. Right now a faint one held his lips as he overlooked her. They took a quick but deep breath and went back under, sinking to the bottom.

Without thinking, she reached for his hair. She ran her hand through it, it swirling through her fingers like silk. He smiled, and she rested her hand on his cheek. He leaned into it.

Lisbon inched closer, resting her forehead and the bridge of her nose against his. They looked into each others eyes, as if they could read each others' thoughts. In this case, that theory was half right.

Jane waited patiently, content with looking into her Emerald irises. Lisbon closed the distance and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck, him wrapping his around her waist. He leaned down and lay against the pool floor, Lisbon onto of him, light as a feather. Her lips fit perfectly with his, his arms fitting perfectly around her waist. Lisbon cradled his head in her hands, and broke the kiss, gasping from the intensity.

Apparently, you couldn't do that underwater.


	8. Wonder

"Breathe, dammit, BREATHE!" Jane yelled, a limp Lisbon against the ground as Cho and him pushed onto her chest.

In the background, Rigsby said, "Yes, of course I gave you the right address. Why the hell would I lie?"

Van Pelt was gathering the paramedics in the hotel to hurry and come to the gang, their supplies ready and everything.

Sweat dripped down Jane's face as he plead once more.

"Breathe, Teresa. _Breathe…"_

_Lisbon walked through the empty room, so bright as though it would burn her eyes, but it never did. The heels she'd been wanting for a long time were now on her feet, the deafening silence breaking as they clicked against the floor. _

_Fuzzy figures stood about a football field away, but with a few steps, Lisbon was a yard away from them._

_They were two people, one woman about an inch taller than Lisbon, the little girl up to her mothers waist. The woman had feathery almost-white hair with intense gray eyes and the little girl had deep aqua eyes with dirty blonde hair to her own waist. Lisbon gulped as she recognized the wise eyes._

"_Am," Lisbon started, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Am I dead?"_

_The little girl shook her head, her movement looking like a ghosts'. _

"_No," the mother said in a strong voice, the echo making a chill in the pit of Lisbon's stomach. "You just think you are."_

_Lisbon nodded, and looked back up at them. "Obviously my subconscious is trying to tell me something. Am I correct?"_

_The girl nodded, although seriously, no smile upon her ruby lips._

"_We…have visited Patrick before. And," The woman appeared next to her, her ice-cold hand gripping Lisbon's arm. "You need to know what he feels about you." _

_The little girl tugged on Lisbon's skirt and had her bend down, whispering the most precious words ever whispered into her ear. Lisbon stayed bent for a while, then slowly rose. _

"_Than-"_

_But they were gone in a flash, and so was Lisbon._

"She's coming to!" Jane yelled, wiping the hair off the forehead of the sputtering Lisbon.

"Patrick," she rasped, reaching for him. He held her cold hand inside of his warm one.

He bent lower to her, and she leaned up to kiss him, sliding her hand up to rest behind his neck. When they finally pulled apart, Jane let out a gracious laugh, and he cupped her cheek.

"I thought I was going to loose you," he whispered, laying his forehead against hers.

"I had to come back," Lisbon started, running her fingers through his tangled curls. "To tell you that I love you too."

Jane smiled so brightly that the sun was just a nightlight in comparison.

"Usually," he said, ignoring the looks from the others. "'Too' implies that I said it already, and I think I planned to say it tomorrow over dinner."

Lisbon smiled and looked over Jane's shoulder, up past the windows and to a lone cloud, shaped suspiciously like a tea cup. It looked as if it were the brightest thing in the sky.

She looked back to Jane, a look of wonder on her face. "You know," she said, wiping tears of joy off his cheek with her thumb. "I think I knew it all along."

**Don't kill me for not updating in a LONG time, and PLEASE don't kill me again now that the episode is OVER! Mentalist tonight, though. You know, Jane's mind being invaded and whatnot. Anyways, I just wanted to end this story so I can open up for a NEW one. And get this; SUPERNATURAL!! After all my Mentalist needs are fulfilled, I'm probably just going to make a story FULL of one-shots. For the sake of this story, review and favorite so it knows that its loved enough to be kept around even when it's gone : ).**


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